Birds & Bees Resort, Pattaya

One of our favorite spots in Thailand was the Birds & Bees Resort in Pattaya. We only had the opportunity to visit it once though, in December 2010, but we had a lovely time. We went with our friends Greg, Nat and Lina who lived in the same condo - Kallista Mansion.

 The beautiful Infinity Pool at the resort.

The view from our 2-bedroom Villa

Posing with Tia, Nat and Lina

Tony with the condom display at the entrance to the resort's dining room. 



Life in Perth

Tia and I have been back in Perth now for 3 months and even though Tia hasn't settled into school yet we seem to have settled back into life here quite well.    I still believe Perth is one of the nicest cities in the World to live in ... clean, tidy, organised, beautiful beaches, parks, cycle paths, etc, etc.  Perhaps the biggest shock is the cost of everything, especially after living in Asia for 4 years.

The City from the foreshore at the end of our street in South Perth

Gymnastics Competition at NIST

On Saturday 13 November Tia took part in the NIST Internal Gymnastics competition at school and had a great day as she performed well on each piece of apparatus. 

It is always difficult to know how well she has gone in comparison with the other gymnasts but I had a feeling she had finished quite high.  Usually they award medals for each apparatus but in this competition they award medals for Overall Gymnast and a team medal. 

Tia achieved Gold for Overall Gymnast:

Tia (Gold), Zoe (Silver), Emma (Bronze)

Tia's team also won Gold.

Flight of the Gibbons

During Mum and Dad's recent visit to Bangkok, Dad was keen to have a go at ziplining as he had seen photos and videos of Tia flying through the rainforest a few months ago. 

Not being one to hold Dad back, I booked us both on a bus tour from Bangkok to the Flight of the Gibbons, which is just over an hours drive from Bangkok on the way to Pattaya.  It was a great tour, well organised and enjoyable and even included Thai lunch beside a nice lake at the edge of the rainforest.

I forgot to mention to Dad that once you get your gear on there is a 15 minute hike to the starting point although I have to admit that it was probably harder going for me than Dad.  The whole ziplining adventure took just over 2 hours and includes 24 lines, the longest being 300m.  Once you have completed the first line there is no going back. 

We enjoyed our day and I probably enjoyed it more on this occasion as I was worried about Tia last time.  This time I only had to worry about Dad but seen as he is an ex-paratrooper I didn't expect a few ziplines would faze him. 

ANZWC Melbourne Cup Function

Luckily, we were able to obtain tickets for one of the largest events on the Bangkok Expat calendar - the ANZ Women's Group Melbourne Cup luncheon at the Amari Watergate Hotel.   Over 500 people attend the event, the food is fantastic and the entertainment excellent.

This year was my third year at the event but I still haven't got used to putting my makeup on and dressing in evening/cocktail wear at 8.30am ready for a 9.30am start. 

This year, I invited Janeth and Ida as I was able to secure 3 tickets.  It was their first time at the event and they had a really good time and I think will want to go every year.  We even managed to have a dance. 

Janeth and Kay at the Melbourne Cup

Halloween 2010

Halloween was celebrated in style this year as we went to Ida and Dante's house party on the Saturday 30 October where everyone was dressed in fantastic Halloween costumes. 


Family Photo prior to going to the Halloween Party



Janeth (Black Angel), Adriana (Witch) and Ida (White Angel)

Rick and Janeth at the Halloween Party in the ISB School Compound



BANGKOK TOUR: BAN KRUA SILK WEAVERS

On Wednesday, 14 October 2010, I lead a group of 17 Mum's from NIST on a walking tour of the Ban Krua Silk Weavers.

The Ban Krua community is made up of Chams, Muslims from Kampong Cham province in Cambodia. The Chams in the Ban Krua community are as old as Bangkok itself, having arrived in Thailand in the reign of King Rama I. They fought on the side of Siam during the Burmese-Siamese wars and for their loyal service they were granted land outside the old city.  The site is in present day Ratchathewi district just north of the National Stadium skytrain station.

Silk weaving was a traditional craft of the Chams and they brought these skills with them to Ban Krua.  When Jim Thompson started taking an interest in Thai silk in the late 1940s, he visited Ban Krua Community and helped them improve their designs and patterns.  He also introduced them to chemical dyes.  He convinced them to produce a sample batch of silks which he took to New York. The silks hit Vogue magazine and from then on Jim Thompson silk took off.

There were a group of eight Cham families who produced the silk for his Thai silk company.  We visited Khun Niphon's, who was a boy when Thompson first came to Ban Krua and is the only descendant from the original weavers.   Khun Niphon allowed us to walk around his small workshop to see the weaving looms in operation.  We were also lucky enough so see the dying process and to purchase some of the beautiful silk destined for the 5 Star Hotels in Bangkok and to London.

We also walked around the community and saw the local fire station, mosque and the locals at work before we crossed the khlong and had lunch at Jim Thompson's house. 

All in all a very good tour.